Archives by Month: April, 2002

A font chosen by a publisher client of mine is beautiful (and appropriate) in print at various sizes but lousy on the Web in a comparable small size for the companion site I’m in the midst of designing right now. Why does that happen? I’ll explain some of the basics below and provide some Photoshop tips, too. Choosing Fonts For Web Graphics To choose appropriate fonts to use for your Web graphics, first let’s do a quick review of anti-aliased text. Below is a sample of anti-aliased and aliased text with Garamond. Notice the smooth edges of the anti-aliased... (1380 words, 26 links, 8 images)

You may have been already hearing the rave reviews about the new Flash MX. Macromedia has now announced more in their MX series—Dreamweaver MX, Fireworks MX, Coldfusion MX, and Studio MX. Improved Standards Support for Dreamweaver MX Look forward to much better support for W3C Recommendations with Dreamweaver MX, including much improved support for XHTML, CSS, and accessibility. This is in no small way due to WaSP’s Dreamweaver Task Force, who consulted with Dreamweaver’s engineers. Big kudos to Macromedia’s Dreamweaver engineers for their major efforts with a much improved product. By the way, WaSP’s new site is... (246 words, 15 links)

I recently wrote about VisiBone’s new Web Color KiloChart. Mine is now right here by my desk for handy reference and is such a beautiful poster just to look at and enjoy, too. The paper quality, the print quality, and the overall layout are even more striking than the image samples shown at his site. On this new KiloChart you’ll find the decimal RGB color codes rather than the hexadecimal HTML codes. As VisiBone’s owner Bob Stein explains at his site and on his charts, W3C suggests using style sheets to specify colors in a web page. He’s also provided... (359 words, 9 links, 1 image)

My almost-14-year-old son keeps telling me I’m so predictable while I also keep denying it. Here’s the 6th Friday Feast in a row—could you have predicted that too? Maybe my son’s right, but don’t tell him I said so. As I wrote about earlier this week, Photoshop 7 is out. A few tips and tutorials are already popping up, which I’ve listed below, along with the usual mixed pot of goodies from all over and on a variety of topics. Tutorials and Tips For the New Photoshop 7: Photoshop 7.0: Top-7 Tips & Tricks A guide to some... (691 words, 23 links, 3 images)

There’s lots of talk around various design discussion lists about the latest Photoshop 7 that’s now out. You might consider stopping by the amazingly helpful Photoshop discussion list where you’ll be able to pick up all kinds of great tips and insight about the latest version’s new features. Of course there’s discussion on all things Photoshop, not just the new features. And you’ll find some big time names there, too, who regularly and generously provide wonderful responses to questions. Don’t want to join yet another discussion list? Well, the archives are available to the public online, too, without having to... (205 words, 9 links, 1 image)

Renaissance Woman Journeys Within is a new review by Joel Canfield (known among evolt.org readers as 'spinhead') which happens to review my CD, Journey Within. Joel’s review is amazingly thorough and also captures the overall essence of my CD. He truly seems to understand what my music is all about, which is a good feeling to me, of course. My mom died just as I finished recording the CD, resulting in the CD’s final production and more concerts being put on hold for awhile. So, while the CD isn’t out for sale quite yet, I’ll be pushing to get... (249 words, 9 links, 1 image)

Did you know that Opera is the leading embedded browser on the market today? At CeBIT this year, for example, Nokia showed its Nokia 9210i Communicator (using the Symbian OS) with an adapted version of Opera for it. Here’s their latest press release: Opera Upgrade for Symbian: Opera 5.14 for Symbian OS released Oslo, Norway - April 23, 2002 London, UK - April 23, 2002 - Today, at the Symbian Developer Expo in London, Opera Software ASA released Opera 5.14 for Symbian OS. The release includes minor fixes to the Web browser edition that was chosen as the default... (502 words, 7 links)

For a limited time, AgfaMonotype is having a sale on 25 fun fonts for $39—just over $1 each—from their usual $79 price tag. They have 3 different variety packages available, which gives you some great choices (and also makes it tough to decide!). And they also give a free font with each order, which this time is a patriotic display font, Old Glory. Each of the 3 fun fonts packages has a good variety to offer, including display fonts, text fonts, and art fonts (aka dingbat fonts). The third package offers 10 new art fonts... (107 words, 2 links)

Since today’s Friday Feast is the 5th Friday Feast in a row, it looks like it’s indeed becoming a habit. We’re on a roll. Today’s is quite a mix of interesting links around the Web. More on Color Wednesday’s column, How’s Your Color? generated some very kind email responses. Thanks again to all, and I’m thrilled that it was helpful information. Here’s a little more on color, too: MoreCrayons.com by the talented Kirk Franklin. A larger web-smart palette using a 16x16x16 cube of 4,096 colors, provided in several different ways for your use via the MoreCrayons.com site (proposed by... (630 words, 32 links)

Wow! Opera has reached the one million downloads mark for its Linux version 5. I’m excited for both Opera and Linux! And Opera 6.0 for Linux Beta 2 is out and has many improvements and faster rendering of pages, according to their latest press release below. Opera for Linux at 1 million Download Mark Opera 6.0 for Linux Beta 2 Takes Aim at China: Oslo, Norway - April 18, 2001-Today, Opera Software ASA released Opera 6.0 for Linux Beta 2 with improved features and looks that increase the speed and enjoyment of Linux users worldwide. The earlier version of Opera for... (493 words, 6 links, 1 image)

After announcing VisiBone’s new Web Color Kilochart here Monday, an interesting discussion about color began at the top-notch Wise Women discussion list. In addition to discussing whether or not we stick to the web-safe palette, we also discussed monitor calibration. Here are a couple of the wonderful resources mentioned: Optimize Your Monitor for Web Viewing, by Ed Morris. He has comparison graphics to check black and white, brightness and contrast, and color. (Note 12 March 2008: link gone) Calibrating Your Monitor, at Jasc (makers of PaintShop Pro) has good information and charts to check brightness and contrast calibration, a... (402 words, 14 links, 1 image)

One of my colleagues in the U.K. recently did some exceptional programming work as a subcontract for a new site design that I just finished, and we agreed that I’d wire transfer payment to her. What should have been a straightforward, simple matter has turned out to be an absurdity that’s not over yet. It would be ideal if wire transfers could be handled securely online through the bank’s site; however, they don’t offer that yet despite all their other online banking services (I checked). Instead they still require that I physically go to a branch office and fill... (592 words, 5 links)

Run, don’t walk, to VisiBone’s site and order his brand new Web Color Kilochart, hot off the presses this morning! VisiBone’s new 18" by 24" color chart boasts over 1,000 colors - 1,068 to be exact. There are 42 hue groups, 25 shades each, plus grays, black, and white. If you’ve already ordered any of VisiBone’s color or HTML products, you know that the quality is unsurpassed. Many people frame VisiBone’s charts because they’re such beautiful works of art in addition to being so useful for reference. At my own office I have VisiBone’s color charts, mouse pads, and... (165 words, 5 links, 1 image)

Reading the list of well-respected typographers speaking at this year’s TypeCon2002 Conference is a sure sign that their upcoming conference will be another great one. TypeCon2002 is being held in Toronto, Ontario July 12-14, 2002. Last year’s TypeCon2001 was a huge success (see what I wrote about it and its press release). Here’s the press release with further information and details about this year’s upcoming conference. SOTA Names Speakers for TypeCon2002: The Medium and the Message. BUFFALO, NY, APRIL 12, 2002 - The Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA) has announced more than 20 speakers scheduled to present at TypeCon2002. To... (419 words, 5 links)

Netdiver asked and over 600 responded to the Pay-for-content mini-survey. Interesting reading and results, including an extensive bibliography. Independent content sites such as Digital Web, Coolhomepages and others are asking for voluntary donations. It’s clear from the survey results that people do realize that a significant amount of time and effort is put in to our independent content sites, and most also feel they’ve gained tremendously from them. But only about 1/3 are willing to pay for them, too, according to Netdiver’s survey. I think we’ve gotten so used to nearly everything on the Internet being available for free... (196 words, 5 links)

Richard Kegler of P22 Fonts has painstakingly created the new William Morris Font Set featuring William Morris’s Kelmscott Press books typeface designs. P22’s new set includes Morris Troy, Morris Golden, and Morris Ornaments, as shown above. Morris Golden has a slightly rough edge to simulate the look of printing on handmade paper, which you’ll notice more in larger sizes. According to Kegler, Morris Troy is a more accurate rendering than any previous digitized versions, reflecting Morris’s original intent, including the tight spacing. Morris Ornaments are decorative drop cap initials and other embellishments, with the drop cap initials once again... (229 words, 5 links, 3 images)

After a week of being sick with a nasty virus (me, not my computer), I’ve spent a lot more time with my PDA, so I’ll pass along my favorite PDA tools, accessories, and games. (744 words, 31 links, 4 images)

Digital Web published a new informative article, Accessible by Design, by Anitra Pavka. Anitra touches on important areas of accessible design, including navigation and links, CSS, fonts, layout, tables, color, and links to resources. Digital Web also has an opening for a monthly columnist: "Candidates should have a proven track-record of quality content and at least 4 years of experience in web development, web design, or a web related field. If you feel you have the skills to be a part of our core team, we want to hear from you."... (94 words, 3 links)

Well known search engine optimization expert Danny Sullivan will be speaking at the upcoming Search Engine Strategies Conference & Expo in London April 23-24. The two-day conference will also feature representatives from the search engine companies, more search engine optimization specialists, including Jill Whalen, copywriting experts including Heather Martin and Nick Usborne, marketing experts, and more. Search engine optimization is usually an important consideration with site design and maintenance. All too often I’ve seen this considered AFTER the site is designed and built rather than DURING the design process, resulting in added expense and sometimes a total redesign. The... (148 words, 8 links)

Around 5 years ago I found a great niche of combining my passion for music and graphics in a way to help others—I began offering a line of linkware music graphics, eventually getting its own domain name as it grew. The benefits have been beyond my wildest imagination; however, the bandwidth theft problems (people linking directly to my server rather than downloading them) made me almost shut down the site.
Strong Motivation to Continue (839 words, 11 links, 1 image)

Uh-oh. This is my 3rd Friday Feast in a row. Does that mean it’s becoming a habit?! Well, there are always so many new articles, links, and fun information, so today’s a good day to play a bit of catch-up with a select few. Today’s Friday Feast covers new articles and weblogs around the Web. First, here are a few new links related to CSS: WebReference CSS Rollovers Update Andy King and crew have tweaked the CSS roll-over markup they began a couple of weeks ago. These work for Netscape 4.x browsers, too. Several possibilities are shown with the markup... (616 words, 28 links, 2 images)

Print design evolved by leaps and bounds during the 20th century, especially with the movement into the computer age. The noted art historian Jaroslav Andel has just released a new book entitled Avant-Garde Page Design 1900-1950, published by Delano Greenidge Editions. This brand new publication covers the first half of the 20th century and includes a carefully chosen selection of images by more than 250 artists, architects, filmmakers and designers with narrated text by Andel. (733 words, 6 links, 1 image)

Terry Sullivan of All Things Web has an easy-to-understand tutorial about how to use the ALT attribute effectively: The Art of ALT. Terry’s tutorial provides lots of good examples and links to more information. There are other helpful tutorials and articles there, too, including Could Helen Keller Read Your Page? Why does it matter what text you include in the ALT attribute? ALT attribute text is read by some of the search engines, but there are other reasons, too. Let’s use an example of a Florida vacation image with spacer images on either side. A browser with images turned off... (318 words, 8 links)

Handspring has special deals all the time, as many companies do to help promote their products. After being a happy Visor Deluxe user for over two years, I upgraded to a Handspring Prism with its 65,000+ colors screen, which included a free EyeModule digital camera. Here is one of my first attempts working with mirrors and reflections for the Mirror Project. Just like the other Springboard modules, the EyeModule clicks right into the expansion slot and instantly comes to life. I was taking pictures within moments after just a quick scan of the simple directions. You can take black-and-white... (351 words, 8 links, 1 image)

Paul Festa and Evan Hansen wrote an article for CNet last week, Web developers wary of AOL switch. When I saw the title, I twitched. Huh?! Well, designers who don’t design cross-browser, cross-platform sites need to do so, of course, and should have been doing so all along, but I know that’s not always the case. Additionally, the quote by Jeffrey Zeldman was taken out of context and ends up being misleading. Jeffrey notes what he actually intended at his Daily Report. [See also my post last week about this.]... (94 words, 5 links)